Kate Puddister

ANALYSIS: We need to rebuild policing in Ontario — from the ground up | TVO Today The fallout from Project South can’t be limited to small tweaks. Police governance in this province needs an overhaul.

New from me at TVO: the allegations in Project South call for a root-and-branch effort to reform policing in Ontario. www.tvo.org/article/anal...

More than 600 RCMP officers faced gender-based violence disciplinary charges since 2014, CBC analysis finds | CBC News A CBC investigation of RCMP disciplinary records reveals hundreds of cases of alleged gender-based violence by members. Through a series of access requests, CBC received more than 10 years of discipli...

“More than 600 RCMP officers faced gender-based violence disciplinary charges since 2014.”

Valuable data provided by Julie Ireton and her team at the CBC and featuring insight from my research partner @daniellemcnabb.bsky.social

www.cbc.ca/news/investi...

Another awesome collaboration with my pal @emmettmacfarlane.com. So excited for this book to come out!

The Spring/Summer UTP catalog is out! Page 27 is lookin' goooood. @uoftpress.bsky.social utppublishing.com/pb-assets/bo...

The book is dedicated to the memory of the late Peter H. Russell, the godfather of Canada's law and politics subfield, and features a Foreword by Supreme Court Justice the Honourable Malcolm Rowe.

Disciplinary Divides in the Study of Law and Politics - University of Toronto Press This book studies the "disciplinary divides" between law and political science, including conceptual, methodological, and normative differences in how each field approaches policy, institutions, and legal phenomena.

Our book, "Disciplinary Divides in the Study of Law and Politics" will be out in late summer/early Fall. It's my 9th book (6th edited), and features an amazing group of political scientists and legal scholars in conversation. Check out the Table of Contents here: utppublishing.com/doi/book/10....

I see the publisher has a marketing page up for my next edited book - with the amazing @katepuddister.bsky.social - so I'm thrilled to be able to publicly share the (very cool) cover:

This study confirms existing research on supervised consumption sites.

Crime rates remained stable — and sometimes dropped — near Toronto supervised consumption sites, study finds Study published in JAMA Network Open tracked rates of assault, auto theft, break-and-enter, robbery and theft over $5,000 from 2014 to 2025.

Crime rates near Toronto’s supervised drug consumption sites dropped

A recent study revealed supervised drug consumption sites in Toronto have not led to an increase in crime – in fact, most rates dropped or even declined.

www.thestar.com/news/gta/con...

“With this change at the legal level — and if media follows suit — we end that implication that this could somehow be entertainment," said Kalyn Danco, associate general counsel with @cdnchildprotect.bsky.social, referring to how the term "pornography" can connote an entertainment purpose.

Bad cops prey on the public – and their fellow officers. To stop them, we must break the culture of silence | Mukund Krishna The rape and murder of Sarah Everard by an off-duty officer should have led to cultural change. Without it, neither communities nor officers are safe, says Mukund Krishna, chief executive of the Police Federation of England & Wales

Bad cops prey on the public – and their fellow officers. To stop them, we must break the culture of silence | Mukund Krishna

Liberals’ ‘Protecting Victims Act’ restores failed policies while eroding fair trial rights Bill C-16 ("Protecting Victims Act") is a classic example of legislative overreach — a package of constitutionally vulnerable measures prioritizing political optics over the practical realities of our...

Opinion | Liberals’ ‘Protecting Victims Act’ restores failed policies while eroding fair trial rights

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Search Jobs - University Affairs

The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) is now accepting applications for the Eakin Visiting Fellowship in Canadian Studies for the 2026/2027 academic year. The deadline is January 30, 2026: universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...

How a 'tough on crime' push collides with more overcrowding in Ontario jails | CBC News Ontario jails are heading toward a record year for overcrowding, remand populations and lockdowns just as politicians debate bail reforms that could lead to a further influx of accused behind bars, da...

Ontario jails set to hit overcrowding record as bail reform looms, data shows

CBC analysis finds 85% of incarcerated women in Ont. are on remand — a rate higher than for men

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The History and Administration of Third‐Party Interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada This article presents a descriptive account of how the administration of third-party interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada has evolved since 1878. Although there has been an explosion of inter...

Pleased to share my new article in Canadian Public Administration (available open access)! I examine how the administration of interveners at the Supreme Court of Canada has evolved since 1878. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Leaked police recording offers 'a slice of the culture,' researcher says 'Those guys are untouchable': Recording of a comedy roast obtained by a researcher contains audio of police cracking jokes about sexual harassment, trumped-up charges and destroying evidence

Important work here by @uofgpolisci.bsky.social postdoc scholar Dr. Dax D'Orazio:

Leaked police recording offers 'a slice of the culture,' researcher says:

www.sootoday.com/local-news/l...

@uofguelphnews.bsky.social

6-3 Supreme Court Canada ruled inmates can challenge refusal to transfer them to lower security prison. Denying transfer to lower security institution can be a deprivation of liberty. #Habeascorpus protections apply to protect prisoners 'residual liberty.' #scc #prisons

When governments trample on our rights, the courts must be free to weigh in. Full stop Invoking the so-called notwithstanding clause doesn't prevent judicial review, despite what some provincial leaders might say.

My op-ed, in today's Toronto Star, on the notwithstanding clause. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Rights and Parliamentary Systems in Canada and Beyond - University of Toronto Press

So pleased that my 8th book (5th edited collection) is finally out! This one brings together a great group of political scientists and legal scholars examining institutional relationships surrounding rights, in Canada and other parliamentary democracies.
utppublishing.com/doi/book/10....

All good

PhD ‘16 :)

D.C.'s crime numbers are all the buzz. But how do we interpret them accurately? A range of crime data has been going around to make the argument that Washington, D.C., is — or isn't — safe. We talk to crime experts to make sense of it all.

A range of crime data has been going around to make the argument that Washington, D.C., is — or isn't — safe. We talk to crime experts to make sense of it all. n.pr/45Kyiyg

Examining political extremism in Canada in the wake of the alleged anti-government militia plot in Quebec A look at political extremism in Canada in the wake of an alleged plot involving a militia to take over a portion of Quebec City.

Featuring insight from Dr. Dax D’Orazio, post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph: Examining political extremism in Canada ottawa.citynews.ca/2025/07/10/q...

Our paper too!

Research into police oversight agencies part of Brock’s $7M in SSHRC grants One of the most common crimes civilian police oversight agencies investigate is sexual assault committed by police officers — a “profoundly disturbing, largely hidden problem in Canada,” says Danielle...

I am pleased to share that my research on police oversight with Danielle McNabb @daniellemcnabb.bsky.social was awarded funding in the latest round by SSHRC.

brocku.ca/brock-news/2...

Canada’s ‘jail not bail’ trend: 4 ways to support victims While high-profile bail cases tend to dominate media coverage, policy on criminal and legal matters must be guided by evidence, not headlines.

Canada’s ‘jail not bail’ trend: 4 ways to support victims

theconversation.com/canadas-jail...

Manitoba’s lack of effective police oversight sidesteps scrutiny of law enforcement, say advocates for change Nearly a decade ago, the death of a 41-year-old Anishinaabe man named Stacy DeBungee ignited a reckoning in Thunder Bay around long-simmering suspicions that municipal police officers were not adequat...

My latest ⬇️

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

Alberta judge rejects robber's Indigenous identity claims, proposes test for deciding who should and shouldn't get Gladue reports An Alberta judge is proposing new guidelines for how courts handle people who say they are Indigenous during sentencing hearings — but don't have proof to back up their claims.

New from me: an Alberta judge is proposing new guidelines for deciding who gets Gladue reports after rejecting a convicted robber’s claims to Indigenous identity. Really interesting decision that grapples with Indigenous identity fraud edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...

Since a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020, the number of people killed by the police each year has continued to rise — and Black Americans are still killed in disproportionate numbers. Our data reporter explains his findings. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/u...